Robert Banner
Dr. Bruce Banner is a genius scientist who, due to exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into the Hulk whenever his heart beats at intensified speeds. Banner is a gifted scientist, one of the greatest of his generation. His attempt to recreate the Super Soldier Serum went awry and he was exposed to intense levels of gamma radiation instead of vita-rays. This resulted in Banner transforming into a super powerful man-creature known as the Hulk. After defeating the Abomination in Manhattan, Banner attempts to seclude himself and attempt to control when he turns into the Hulk. After being recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to find the location of the Tesseract, he joins the fray during the Battle of New York and becomes a founding member of the Avengers. Biography Early Life Bruce Banner was born on December 18, 1969. At Harvard, Bruce met Betty Ross. They begin dating and at one point volunteer for an experiment involving hallucinogenics. Later Bruce became a leader in gamma radiation research, and once worked with Erik Selvig for a brief period. In 2006, Betty's father, General Thaddeus Ross enlisted Banner in a military research group to apparently make soldiers more resistant to radiation (in reality, Ross was hoping Banner would perfect a recreation of the original super-soldier serum). But when testing the experiment on himself, he was transformed into the Hulk and hospitalized Betty and injured her father. Ross decided to have Banner dissected in order to recreate the Hulk for mass use, however Banner instead went on the run, knowing that the Hulk and its power could not be controlled. At tail's end, Banner tried to kill himself with a gun, but Hulk emerged and stopped him first. He would then spend the next five years running from country to country, looking for a cure while continuously being pursued by Ross. ''The Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files Bruce Banner was drinking in a bar when Nick Fury, who came to the bar to see what Banner could do when he turns into the Hulk in attempt to find a Super Soldier for S.H.I.E.L.D., spoke to him. As planned, Fury and two other undercover agents were able to make Banner turn into the Hulk, Hulk escapes the bar. The Incredible Hulk: The Big Picture Sometime after his accident, Banner spoke to Ross about the accident and revealed to Ross that he will find a cure, Ross refuses to allow him to get a cure, but Banner disobeys him and runs away. While on the run, he hid on a truck heading to Canada, where he was arrested by the police as the truck was passing by the borders, Banner ended up transforming into the Hulk and causing alot of mess The Incredible Hulk Now a fugitive from the United States, Banner worked in a soft drink bottling factory in Brazil while attempting to find a cure for his condition with the help of an Internet friend known to him as "Mr. Blue". To prevent another transformation, Banner underwent rigorous meditation to control his emotions and keep his pulse at a steady level. One day, "Mr. Blue" requested that Banner send him a sample of blood, which through some tests revealed a potential cure. However, Blue needed the data that changed him first in the first place. After Banner suffered a cut, a drop of his blood landed into a bottle of soft drink, which was eventually drank by an ill-fated consumer. Following this, General Ross discovered his location and sent Emil Blonsky and a special forces team to apprehend him. While trying to evade the special forces, Banner was attacked by thugs and became the Hulk. The Hulk killed some of the thugs and the special forces team and escaped, leaving Blonsky unharmed. Banner wakes up in Guatemala, dazed by the experience and eventually makes his way to Culver University in the United States, where a now-recovered Betty was dating psychologist Doctor Leonard Samson. Unable to access his old lab to retrieve the data, he sees his old friend Stanley, a pizzeria owner, for a place to stay and a job as a delivery boy. Banner used this job to sneak past a Culver University security guard to try and retrieve his research, only to discover it was gone. When preparing to head off once again, Betty visited the pizzeria and spotted Banner, who fled to try and avoid her, however they later reunited, and he elected to stay with her one night. Learning that she possessed the last of the data, he explained her father's plan for him, and why he must continue running. While getting ready to leave, the military arrived, and Blonsky, enhanced by some of the experimental serum Ross had tried to produce himself, led the assault. While trapped and gased, Banner was angered by some soldiers trying to restrain Betty, and transformed into the Hulk. Despite Blonsky's increased strength, speed and agility, the Hulk crushed most of the bones in Blonsky's body before absconding with Betty to Smokey Mountain National Forrest with Betty and keeping her safe from a firing gunship. Banner sends the data to "Mr. Blue", and he and Betty traveled to Manhattan to meet with "Mr. Blue", Dr. Samuel Sterns. Accompanying Sterns to his lab, Banner and Betty learned that Sterns had indeed developed a possible antidote that may reverse Banner's transformations, however it might only prevent the current occurrence and not future ones, and that an overdose could possibly kill him. Despite the risks, Banner agreed to try, and was shocked into transforming with electricity and then reverted to normal with an injection of the serum and Betty's calming words. Exhilarated by the success of the antidote, Sterns revealed that he had synthesized Banner's blood sample into a large supply, with the intention of using it to enhance the human condition to the next evolutionary level. Appalled and fearful of the the Hulk's power falling into the wrong hands, Banner attempted to convince Sterns to destroy the blood supply when he was shot by a tranquilizer from one of General Ross' snipers, while Blonksy, further enhanced by Ross's serum, attacked Banner in an attempt to get him to transform but couldn't. As Banner was taken into custody, Blonsky, desperate for more power, confronted Sterns and demanded he subject him to a dose of the Banner's gamma radiation treatment. As a result, Blonsky mutated into a hideous titan, the Abomination, and went on a rampage in the city. Banner, realizing that he was the only one who could stop the Abomination, convinced General Ross to release him, and jumped out of Ross' helicopter, hoping the fall would stimulate a transformation. Banner's plans succeeded, and after a violent, pitched battle the Abomination was defeated when the Hulk brutally strangled him with a huge chain, but was stopped from killing him by Betty. The Hulk then fled the scene with the army in hot pursuit. Thirty one days later, Banner was staying in Bella Coola, British Columbia. Instead of trying to suppress his transformations, he began attempting to initiate them in a controlled manner. As his eyes turned green, a grin appeared on his face. Thor Bruce was mentioned by Erik Selvig and he declared he once knew him as a pioneer in gamma radiation until S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up, and he hadn't been heard from since. Fury's Big Week S.H.I.E.L.D. were monitoring Banner's movements. Both Agent Sitwell and Agent Romanoff were assigned to watch over him. The Consultant According to Phil Coulson, General Ross and the World Security Council blamed Banner for the battle with Blonsky, due to his anger issues and believing he had forced Blonksy to fight. ''The Avengers Initiative Bruce Banner heads to Afghanistan, then Pakistan and then India and is attacked by some Mercenary Bandits. He becomes the Hulk and attacks them. ''Black Widow Strikes S.H.I.E.L.D. continued to observe Banner's actions and is glimpsed on their screens. The Avengers Eventually relocating to Calcutta, India, Banner found a new direction for himself acting as an unregistered physician, helping people in poverty-stricken slums. No longer obsessed with finding a cure for himself, he had gained peace of mind in helping others. One night while working, he found himself lured into a meeting with Natasha Romanoff, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who requested his help in locating the Tesseract, an object of limitless power that had fallen into the possession of Loki. Though initially dubious and suspecting that S.H.I.E.L.D. was really after his green alter ego, Banner eventually relented and agreed to Romanoff's request. After meeting Steve Rogers/Captain America, the original subject of the super-soldier serum, he began working on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to track the location of the Tesseract, by attempting to locate the gamma radiation it emitted, working with Tony Stark, the industrialist also known as "Iron Man". Stark attempted to get a reaction out of Banner in the hope of seeing his alter-ego, however Banner was able to remain in control of himself. Though Loki was captured and refused to cooperate, Banner suspected that there was more to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agenda. Soon the clash of personalities within the assembled group provided a constant source of tension for all and Banner was subjected to frequent reminders of his need to contain the beast within. Clint Barton, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under Loki's control, led an attack against the Helicarrier. Explosions from the attack caused debris from the ceiling to rain down on Banner, injuring him and triggering the change into the Hulk despite Romanoff's attempts to calm him down. He rampaged around the vessel, hunting Romanoff, before he turned his attention to Thor, and the Asgardian actually proved a challenge to the Hulk. Finally, a S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot in a fighter jet outside got his attention by shooting him through a window, causing the Hulk to leap out and attack it, before falling to Earth. Banner awoke in the blasted remnants of a warehouse and was greeted by a lone security guard who had seen his alter-ego, and offered him clothing. Following disturbances into New York City, where Loki had opened a dimensional rift with the Tesseract, Banner located his superhuman acquaintances assembling to counter the threat. Although wary of another transformation, they insisted that he would be a help. Banner obliged, triggering a controlled transformation, then together with the others, he turned his attention on the Chitauri invasion force pouring through the portal. The Hulk did indeed prove to be an asset to the group; not only did he single-handedly kill the first of the Chitauri Leviathans, he was an unstoppable force in dealing with the alien warriors. Eventually he managed to single-handedly subdue Loki, and caught Stark as he fell from the closing portal, and roared to wake him up, before joining the rest of the team in confronting Loki. Long after the battle was over, Banner, now back to normal again, gathered with the others in Central Park to see off Thor and the captive Loki. The threat neutralized, Banner and the remaining heroes said their goodbyes and parted company, with Banner departing with Stark. Iron Man 3 Prelude After Loki was defeated, James Rhodes arrived in New York to help out Tony. Rhodes located Stark in a Shawarma restaurant where he was introduced to Bruce and the other Avengers. Iron Man 3 Tony Stark is talking to someone about his traumas including the Mandarin and Aldrich Killian incident. This person is revealed to be Bruce Banner sitting across from him, who has awoken after having fallen asleep during Tony's story. Captain America: The Winter Soldier Bruce was targetted by the undercover HYDRA agents on SHIELD as a potential threat for their plans. ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "The Well" To be added "The Only Light in the Darkness" To be added "One Door Closes" Banner is mentioned as the builder of the retreat out in the woods. The retreat is coated in Vibranium and the Hulk was able to make a dent in it. ''Avengers: Operation HYDRA ''To be added ''Avengers: Age of Ultron ''To be added ''Thor: Ragnarok ''To be added ''Avengers: Infinity War ''To be added ''Avengers 4 ''To be added Character traits ''The Incredible Hulk Bruce is a mild-mannered, mysterious, shy and analytical man of science. The incident at Culver University caused Bruce to become somewhat mentally troubled and obsessed with finding a cure for his mutation. He is compassionate and afraid of hurting someone unintentionally, so he tries not to get close to something or someone that leaves him stressed. He supplemented his scientific pursuit by learning meditation and breathing techniques, gaining a greater control over the transformations. When he transforms, his personality regresses to a more child-like state and he has little recollection of events after he returns to his normal human form. The Avengers Bruce is renowned to be a brilliant scientist in the fields of nuclear and chemical sciences, to such an extent that he was called upon to track down the Tesseract. He is highly intelligent and calculating, and had a scientific mind which meant that his deductions were rarely wrong and commonly very precise. However, Bruce was, slightly suicidal because of his intense fear of what his transformations could do. This is shown when, in order to spare himself the inevitable shame of becoming genocidal and destructive and dangerous, he shot himself in the mouth in human form, only for his Hulk form to literally spit the bullet back out. In his earliest transformations, Bruce appeared as a savage with no real ability to distinguish friend from foe. Because of this, he was responsible for the deaths of two scientists, an army officer, an police officer from Idaho and two Canadian hunters when he was a fugitive. The Hulk gradually attained a better reasoning capacity over time, becoming able to show affection and demonstrating a capacity to work collaboratively with others. However, Bruce has been shown that out of all the Avengers, he is the one they respect, but fear, the most. Even Natasha, who always is calm in every situation, fears him as shown twice when she pull a gun on him in the hut when he appeared to lose his cool but in truth to see if she was truly alone or not and on the Helicarrier when they were blasted out of the lab and he transformed and attack her, showing terror in her face, very rarely does that happen with her. Thor: Ragnarok After finally returning to his human form, after being trapped in his superhuman form for two years, upon learning from Thor that he had been Hulk for two years, Bruce became afraid of Hulk once more, as transforming again would likely result in Hulk gaining full control and the ability to permanently suppress Bruce. Avengers: Infinity War ''To be added As Hulk When Bruce would originally transform into the Hulk, he would lose control of himself because of rage, adrenaline or stress, which hormonally stimulates the heart rate. The total time of transformation takes only seconds. Banner becomes the Hulk with increase in heart rate or adrenal levels, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical. Bruce was unable to control the transformations, but while his consciousness is buried within the Hulk's, he can influence Hulk's behaviour only to a very limited extent such as when he was asked by Betty Ross not to kill his enemy. Hulk was also spurred by Betty's cries to resist the sonic weapons that were attacking him. After over four years of training to control the Hulk, Bruce learned that if he always remains in a controlled angry state, then he can easily change into Hulk at will. This type of transformation allows Hulk to be more intelligent and less enraged than an uncontrolled one. However, if Bruce is sent into a state of stress then he can lose control and transform against his will despite trying to control it. This Hulk seems to revert back to a savage enraged state where he would attack anyone being friend or foe. Hulk is constantly enraged and draws his strength from this rage. The angrier Hulk is the more powerful he becomes. This aspect of his physiology grants him virtually limitless strength. If Hulk calms down to a certain point, he reverts back to his human form. Powers and Abilities Powers *'Superhuman Physiology/Transformation:' Bruce subjected himself to a combination of a recreated version of the Super Soldier Serum and an exposure to high levels of Gamma Radiation, in an attempt to develop a result similar to the original Project Rebirth from World War II. As a result, Bruce is able to transform into the Hulk when his heart rate increases to high levels or he loses control of his emotions. As Hulk, Bruce is a giant green-skinned humanoid with immense strength fueled by his rage, meaning the angrier he gets the stronger he becomes, and is one of the most powerful beings on Earth. According to Samuel Sterns, the transformation is triggered when an electric pulse generated on the amygdala (when Banner loses control or the pulse is induced) increases the gamma radiation of Bruce's cells. Betty Ross' reagent allows the cells to absorb the energy temporarily, which then abates, resulting in a chemical reaction that produces a myostatin primer. When Hulk transforms back into Bruce, the excess muscle mass and energy is dissipated. The total time of transformation falls anywhere between seconds to several minutes, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which will be determined by the original stimulus. Despite Bruce's initial inability to control the transformations, he managed to attain some level of control through training and practice, and Banner's consciousness is buried within Hulk, influencing his behavior to a very limited extent. Now Banner is able to trigger his transformations at will, remaining angry in a controlled state, which allows Hulk to be more intelligent and self-controlled in battle. **'Superhuman Strength:' As the Hulk, Bruce's primary power is his immense superhuman strength. His strength allows Hulk to rip steel as if it was made of paper, to break vehicles with a punch, to stop a speeding Humvee in its tracks by stomping it into the ground, leave a dent after punching a wall made of an extremely durable silicon-carbide Vibranium alloy One Door Closes, or to kill a massive Leviathan with a single punch. In combat, Hulk often uses his strength to throw heavy objects (for example; cars and forklift trucks) or his smaller opponents in order to defeat his enemies, such as when Hulk threw a human sized Emil Blonsky more than 40 feet away with just one kick or when he hurled Loki around repeatedly while holding him by the leg. Hulk has never demonstrated a maximum output or limit to his strength, and very few individuals have been able to match his strength, such as; the Abomination, who despite his greater strength ultimately succumbed to Hulk's when he endangered the life of Betty Ross, Thor, who was hit hard enough by Hulk to make his nose bleed, or Iron Man, who had to develop a special Hulkbuster armor to battle him in case of need. **'Superhuman Leaping:' As the Hulk, Bruce's strength also extends to his legs, allowing him to leap great distances, such as when he traveled from Brazil to Guatemala in a single night, covering at least from 1500 to 1600 miles in over 7 to 10 hours, or great heights with precision, such as when reached the top of Stark Tower from ground level in a single leap, or when he caught Iron Man in mid-fall when Stark came back through the Wormhole over New York City. **'Superhuman Durability:' As the Hulk, Bruce is able to withstand blows and attacks of considerable force; even high caliber bullets bounce off him and flames cause him little damage. His bone, skin and muscles have an extreme density and he possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. Hulk also withstood multiple energy blasts from Chitauri weaponry, extreme cold in the Arctic, great impacts from heights of several miles (though the impact knocked him unconscious, forcing him to revert back into Banner). Only beings with incredible force or extremely powerful weapons can harm him, such as when Hulk was painfully pierced by Abomination's skeletal spikes, and when a blow from Thor wielding Mjölnir knocked him out for a moment. While Hulk did survive quite a few blows from the Hulkbuster with little discomfort, he got a tooth knocked out in the confrontation. In addition, Hulk's durability is also tied to his anger level. During the fight against the Hulkbuster, he slightly calmed down, which slightly reduced his durability after witnessing the destruction that he caused in South Africa, allowing Iron Man to use the advantage, hammering Hulk with a massive punch, which sent him flying against a tall building, knocking him out. **'Superhuman Stamina:' As the Hulk, Bruce has substantially greater endurance than a normal human, allowing him to run and fight for a long time. His enraged state, during a fight, allows him to maintain peak output for hours on end and still continue to become even stronger as his anger escalates. **'Superhuman Speed:' Regardless of his size, as the Hulk, Bruce's superhuman strength of his legs allow him to run at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of a human being. He also possesses enhanced reflexes and agility proportionate to his size, but his large size can still be exploited by smaller foes to use to their advantage. **'Superhuman Senses:' As the Hulk, Bruce's senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and instincts, are heightened to superhuman levels and accuracy. Hulk possesses incredible perception, noticing even the smallest details. **'Superhuman Endurance:' As the Hulk, Bruce's body generates no fatigue toxins during physical activity, granting him nigh limitless endurance in all physical activities. His stamina and vitality are inexhaustible and limitless. **'Environmental Adaptation:' As the Hulk, Bruce can adapt to any environment, even airless space. Hulk can adapt to a wide diversity of hostile habitats. Hulk can harmonize his biological structure with the depths of the ocean. He can even speak in these inhospitable habitats. Hulk can eat, drink, breath and function normally in any environment. He does not need to eat, drink, or breath, and his ability to adapt to his environment is an inherent property, which is also enhanced and amplified by his rage, excitement, stress, and necessity. **'Accelerated Healing Factor:' Despite his invulnerability to physical harm, as the Hulk, Bruce is not completely invincible and can be injured. However, Hulk's physiology has an extremely high rate of cellular regeneration. Grievous bodily harm has also proven to be a trigger for Bruce's transformations, and he has recovered from otherwise fatal injuries sustained in his normal form. Bruce said he tried to put a bullet through his mouth but the "other guy" merely spit it out. Hulk also has an enhanced immune system; Samuel Sterns described that a synthesized sample of Bruce's blood would make humans impervious to diseases. These attributes make him extremely difficult to kill, even if he is in his human form. Abilities *'Genius-Level Intellect:' Bruce possesses a genius-level intellect, famous for being one of the foremost geniuses of his generation. Phil Coulson also compares him to Stephen Hawking. Bruce also became disciplined in emotional intelligence, employing meditative breathing techniques and anger management to better control his pulse rate and thus his transformations. *'Master Scientist:' Bruce is one of the world's renowned scientist in fields such as Biochemistry, Nuclear Physics and, especially, Gamma Radiation. His knowledge was even praised by Tony Stark, who said that Bruce's work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. While programming Vision, Tony also said that Bruce is extremely skilled in the scientific discipline of Bioorganics. He is experienced in the fields of computers and engineering as well. Hence Bruce was able to help Tony construct the Hulkbuster, create the Ultron AI, and download J.A.R.V.I.S. into the Vision android. *'Physician:' Bruce possesses enough medical knowledge to help the sick and injured, while living in India. *'Hand-To-Hand Combatant/Martial Artist:' Bruce learned Aikido and basic meditative breathing techniques in Brazil from a hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist expert. *'Expert Tactician:' Over the years, Bruce has become an expert in developing strategies to go unnoticed and run from the government and military, using his intellect to quickly evaluate his surroundings and develop escape strategies. He has also become very skilled at going undercover. *'Multilingualism:' When he lived and traveled in South America, Bruce demonstrated some knowledge in Portuguese and Spanish. He also demonstrated fluency in Hindi, as seen during his time in Kolkata. Equipment *'Stretchable Pants:' After the Battle of New York, Bruce became a consecrated member of the Avengers, he acquired a uniform with the main feature of stretching to fit his Hulk physique after his transformations. He uses a pair of trousers made with a flexible microfiber fabric, the material of which was shown to be extremely durable on several occasions, like when the team attacked the HYDRA Research Base, Bruce turned back into the Hulk with his pants still intact. *'Battle Axe:' As Bruce became a gladiator, the Hulk had gained a large special metallic battle axe that sutiable to his own size. *'Hammer:' With Bruce as a gladiator, the Hulk had also obtained a special metallic war hammer that aids him with battling others in the arena. After the Culver University's incident, Bruce used several pieces of equipment while he was a fugitive. Some of these were destroyed or confiscated by United States Armed Forces. To prevent clues, Bruce avoided the use of credit card, identity documents and phones. The materials he used included; *'Wrist-Mounted Cardiovascular Monitor:' A gauge used to monitor Bruce's heart rate, helping him to prevent a transformation into the Hulk. The first monitor was destroyed after Bruce's transformation in Brazil. The last one seen was given by Betty Ross and seized by United States Armed Forces. *'Laptop Computer:' A cheap laptop with an encrypted instant messaging software installed. Bruce used it to chat with "Mr. Blue" a.k.a. Samuel Sterns. Bruce always carried it in a backpack, so he could maintain a communication where he was. Relationships *Hulk - Ally and alter-ego. *Betty Ross - Ally and former love interest. *Leonard Samson - Rival turned friend. *Rick Jones - Former student and ally. *Martina - Co-worker *Avengers **Steve Rogers/Captain America - Team leader. **Tony Stark/Iron Man - Teammate and friend. **Thor Odinson - Teammate. **Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow -Teammate and love interest. **Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Teammate. **Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver - Enemy turned ally and teammate. **Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Enemy turned ally and teammate. **Vision - Teammate. *Nick Fury - Ally. *Erik Selvig - Ally. *Thaddeus Ross - Ally turned enemy. *Samuel Sterns - Ally turned enemy. *Emil Blonsky/Abomination - Enemy. *Loki Laufeyson - Enemy turned situational ally. *Chitauri - Enemies. *Ultron - Enemy. *Valkyrie - Ally. Appearances/Actors *Marvel Cinematic Universe (6 films) **''The Incredible Hulk'' (First appearance) - Edward Norton **''Thor'' - (Mentioned only) **''The Consultant'' - (Mentioned only) **''The Avengers'' - Mark Ruffalo **''Iron Man 3'' - Mark Ruffalo **''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' - (Mentioned only) **''Avengers: Age of Ultron'' - Mark Ruffalo **''Captain America: Civil War'' - (Mentioned only) **''Thor: Ragnarok'' - Mark Ruffalo **''Avengers: Infinity War'' - Mark Ruffalo **''Avengers 4'' - Mark Ruffalo *Marvel Cinematic Universe (2 TV series) **''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' ***Season 1 ****"Pilot" (Recycled Footage/Computer Monitor) ****"The Well" (Mentioned only) ****"The Only Light in the Darkness" (Mentioned only) ***Season 2 ****"Love in the Time of HYDRA" (Mentioned only) ****"One Door Closes" (Mentioned only) ****"The Frenemy of My Enemy" (Mentioned only) **''Daredevil'' ***"Rabbit in a Snow Storm" (Newspaper photo) ***"Stick" (Newspaper photo) ***"Nelson v. Murdock" (Newspaper photo) ***"The Ones We Leave Behind" (Newspaper photo) *Marvel Cinematic Universe (9 comics) **''The Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files'' **''The Incredible Hulk: The Big Picture'' **''Black Widow Strikes'' **''Fury's Big Week'' **''The Avengers: The Avengers Initiative'' **''Iron Man 3 Prelude'' **''Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude - This Scepter'd Isle'' **''Avengers: Operation HYDRA'' Behind the scenes *Regarding The Avengers, Joss Whedon declared that he focused the most on creating the Banner's character, trying to make him more similar to Bill Bixby's version of the character, always trying to help other people, than to Eric Bana's and Edward Norton's one, "obsessed" with curing himself. *Before Edward Norton was cast as Bruce Banner, actor David Duchovny was a front-runner for the film and Dominic Purcell was also rumored for the role. *Edward Norton was approached to play Bruce Banner in Hulk, but turned it down. *Before Mark Ruffalo was announced to be replacing Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix was rumored for the part. *Ruffalo was the first choice for Banner in The Incredible Hulk. *Ruffalo says Banner is a reluctant part of the team, and said his metamorphosis is as painful to the character as an addiction problem – even if he can sometimes be used for good. “The rage is something that is like going on a binger — you wake up after a blackout and you did all this f—ed up shit. Oh God, what did I do? And so we were talking about it like that, actually. At the beginning of The Avengers, “Banner starts like he's sober in a weird way. He's started a whole new life when we find him, and it's cool. Things don't stay that way, of course." Trivia *Edward Norton was originally set to reprise his role in The Avengers, but was fired after The Incredible Hulk was released. There are various theories as to why he was fired. It was initially reported that Norton was hard to work with but this was later proven to be false by Louis Leterrier. After being fired, Kevin Feige released a statement saying that Norton would be replaced with "a name actor" who shares a similar creative mind with the studio; Norton's estate responded that Feige's comments were "degrading" to the actor's image and that he is pleased to have worked with Marvel despite their differences. *Bruce has brief flashes on when he is in his Hulk state suggesting they're the same person. *There are several noticeable visual differences between The Hulk in The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, despite the fact they are both in the same continuity. The Hulk in The Incredible Hulk is much taller and muscular then he is in The Avengers, and dark green skin, whereas in The Avengers he has brighter skin and a shorter hair cut. Their faces are also different. Much of these differences are because Mark Ruffalo is using motion-capture to actually play the Hulk, whereas Hulk was entirely CGI in The Incredible Hulk. *Bruce's screen time in The Avengers is 28:03. *Although being the only primary Avenger without a solo film in Phase Two, Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Banner in a brief cameo during the post-credits scene for Iron Man 3. *''Iron Man 3'' marks the first time in a MCU film where Banner appears without turning into the Hulk. *''Iron Man 3'' also marks the first time that Banner has been played by the same actor in more than one film. *Bruce's screen time in Avengers: Age of Ultron is 23:55. Gallery ''The Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files'' FuryBannermeet.jpg|Fury and Banner meet for the first time. FuryandHulk.jpg FuryandHulk2.jpg ''The Incredible Hulk'' edward_norton.jpg|Banner during the Gamma Experiment. Hulk, searching for cure.jpg Brucenorton.jpg|Banner as seen in the ''The Incredible Hulk'' played by Edward Norton. Bruce Banner.jpg| Bruce researching to find a cure. Bruce4.jpg 2008_the_incredible_hulk_005.jpg|Banner begins the transformation. 67374_edward-norton-as-scientist-bruce-banner-in-the-incredible-hulk.jpg|Banner is discovered at the university. edward-norton-as-bruce-banner-in-the-incredible.jpg|Bruce mid transformation as Samuel Sterns watches in awe. BannerTransformation-TIH.png|Bruce mid transformation as Samuel Sterns watches in awe. large_hulk.jpg|Bruce confers with Thunderbolt Ross. edward_norton3.jpg|Bruce with Betty Ross. Bruce Banner thumb.jpg|Bruce meditates. Promotion, Filming and Concept Art Bruce_Banner_-_Edward_Norton_-_The_Incredible_Hulk.jpg ''The Avengers'' Hulkshouse.jpg|Banner entering a shack. Bruce Banner Avengers.jpg|"What if I say no?". shack.PNG|SHIELD Agents surrounding Banner in a shack. hulkshack.PNG|SHIELD agents surround the shack that Banner has been lured to. avengersrussia0008layer.png|"STOP LYING TO ME!" Bruce Banner meets Steve Rogers.jpg|Bruce Banner meets Steve Rogers. Bruce banner hulk avengers.jpg|Bruce Banner. Bruce Ruffalo.jpg bannermeeting.PNG|Banner at the Avengers meeting. Banner.PNG|Doctor Banner consulting with S.H.I.E.L.D. 2038061-47_banner_stark_super.png|Bruce meets with Tony Stark. 4f21ed2b00cae.jpg|Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Bruce and Tony.jpg|Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. BruceBanner_Avengers.jpg|Banner doing research. hbdffdgs.jpg mavengersfilmstillshaa1.jpg Bruce Banner Avengers 01.jpg|"We're not a team, we're a time bomb." TheAvengers-397.jpg Hulk transformation-avengers.JPG|Banner transforming into the Hulk. 2038065-48_getting_mad_super.png|Banner tries to make the concious effort to change into the Hulk. Promotion, Filming and Concept Art Mark+Ruffalo+Scarlett+Johansson+Films+Avengers+1N0g7gVaDTOl.jpg|Mark Ruffalo on set as Bruce Banner. Robert-Downey-Jr-Mark-Ruffalo-The-Avengers.jpg|Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner on set with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. Avengers Bruce Banner.jpg Bruce Banner Hulk Avengers.jpg|Promotional image. TheAvengers BruceBanner Poster.jpg Banner poster.JPG Bruce Hulk Banner.png|Bruce Banner Bio Wallpaper. imagebanner.jpg ''Iron Man 3 Prelude'' RhodeymeetstheAvengers.jpg|Banner meets Rhodey. ''Iron Man 3'' Banner Iron Man 3.jpeg|Banner talking to Tony Stark. BannerIM3.jpg ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'' BruceBanner_AOU.jpg Promotion, Filming and Concept Art Science Bros Banner-and-Stark.jpg ''Thor: Ragnarok'' Bruce Banner and Thor.jpg Promotion, Filming and Concept Art Thor - Ragnarok - Set - Mark Ruffalo - 1.jpg Thor - Ragnarok - Set - Mark Ruffalo - 2.jpg Thor - Ragnarok - Set - Asgard - August 8 2016 - 3.jpg ''Avengers: Infinity War'' Stark_and_the_bros.jpg Strange-Stark_Wong_and_Banner.jpg Rogers_Banner.jpg Shuri_Banner_and_Wanda.jpg Promotion, Filming and concept art Fandago_Avengers_Infinity_War_mini_poster_team_1.jpg See Also *Bruce Banner (disambiguation) Category:The Incredible Hulk characters Category:Iron Man characters Category:The Avengers characters Category:Thor characters Category:Avengers members Category:Scientist Category:Geniuses Category:S.H.I.E.L.D. Scientist Category:Heroes Category:Characters affected by Gamma Radiation Category:Characters with Super Strength Category:Characters with Invulnerability Category:Characters with Super Speed Category:Characters with Super Agility Category:Characters with Shapeshifting Category:Characters with Accelerated Healing factors Category:Characters with martial arts skills